Getty The Denver Broncos are "unlikely" to draft a quarterback on the second day of the 2023 NFL draft according to 9News' Mike Klis
It is apparently “unlikely” that the Denver Broncos will come away from the second day of the 2023 NFL draft with a new quarterback in tow — this, at least, according to 9News’ Mike Klis.
“The Broncos currently don’t have draft selections in the first and second rounds, so it’s unlikely they would take a quarterback in the third round, where they have the fourth and fifth picks in the round, No. 67 and 68 overall,” Klis wrote. “Even the fourth round would seem to be too rich for a team that has just five draft picks total.”
Klis believes that the lack of an immediate need for a quarterback means it’d take a late-round flier for the Broncos to consider adding to a quarterback room that added a veteran under contract for multiple years (Russell Wilson, Jarrett Stidham) each of the past two offseasons.
“A third- or fourth-round quarterback won’t help the Broncos in 2023,” Klis wrote. “Payton and general manager George Paton figure to use their third-round picks on two players who can contribute in 2023, maybe even become starters by the second half of the year, or in 2024. That’s if the Broncos don’t use one of their third-round picks to trade back in exchange for more draft capital in the third or fourth rounds.”
Analyst on What Denver Broncos Will Look For Instead of QB
Instead of taking a quarterback in the fourth round, Klis believes the Denver Broncos could look for a Damarri Mathis-type steal. Mathis was a fourth-round selection (No. 115 overall) in the 2022 draft and is now a starter in the secondary.
“Finding a player like Damarri Mathis – a cornerback who because of injury became a month two starter as a rookie last season – figures to be the Broncos’ goal with their sixth pick in the 4th round, No. 108 overall,” Klis wrote.
As the 9News reporter explained how the current Broncos quarterback situation dictates that Denver focus elsewhere with its highest draft selections — and added why the 2023 class’ late-round quarterback options aren’t worth the gamble anyway.
“The Broncos’ quarterback situation currently has Russell Wilson as their $28 million starter, Jarrett Stidham as their $4 million backup and Jarrett Guarantano as their No. 3 quarterback,” Klis wrote. “Guarantano is entering his second season after he went undrafted and had practice time with the Arizona Cardinals and Broncos as a rookie. He played well in the preseason last year for Arizona but he turns 26 in November, a relatively advanced age for a second-year player. Only it’s not an advanced age relative to the second-tier quarterbacks who could go in rounds 4 through 7 of this year’s draft.”
Denver Broncos Have Known Interest in Two 2023 QBs
As Klis relayed, the Denver Broncos have been in on two quarterbacks from the Class of 2023: Penn State’s Sean Clifford and Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell. There could be other names we haven’t heard of in the mix, though.
“It’s known the Broncos have expressed interest in Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell and Penn State’s Sean Clifford,” Klis prefaced before saying, “But there figures to be others who are not yet known.”
Day 2 of the 2023 NFL draft, when the Broncos are known to pick, is Friday, April 28. Whether they move up on Day 1 remains to be seen, though.